Hey all! I have a giveaway coming later today, but in the meantime, I wanted to do a quick news roundup in one spot.

– In case you haven’t heard, my next book has a new name: PAWN, the first book of The Blackcoat Rebellion series, will be out November 26, 2013! I don’t have a cover or a synopsis to share with you yet, but as soon as both are released, I’ll be sure to let you all know. I’m so excited about this series. It’s been a long time coming, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me talk about posting the window room scene from Goddess Interrupted (Chapter 15, pages 220-226) in Henry’s POV when I reached 5,000 followers.

Well. Guess what. You guys are amazing, and we are totally there.

The scene is long. Over 3,000 words long. And because WordPress is a pain, I’ve posted it in my LiveJournal account for easy access.

Before you read it, please keep a few things in mind: this has not been professionally edited. It’s fairly raw, so please forgive any typos or grammar errors. This may not line up completely with what happens in Goddess Interrupted, so please also forgive any minor (or major) continuity errors. The books are canon. This is more or less author-generated fan fiction. And please do not post this anywhere without my express permission.

Also, if you haven’t read Goddess Interrupted (#2 in the Goddess Test series), don’t read this. Seriously. Massive, MASSIVE spoilers for both the first and second books. And potentially some minor spoilers for Goddess Legacy, too.

Whew. All right, with all of that rambling out of the way, here you go – just click the link, and I hope you all enjoy!

I don’t know about you, but I am really, really ready for this election cycle to end. I’m sick of the ads, the rhetoric, and the constant mud-slinging and stance-shaming going on from all parties. I’m sick of being told I’m not A enough if I don’t vote for B, or because I’m a X, I should vote for Y. I don’t like being told what to do to begin with (does anyone?), so even when this comes from the people who support the candidates I intend on voting for, it makes me furious.

Here’s the thing. No matter how annoyed you are, no matter how disinterested in politics, none of it trumps the fact that you’re an American citizen (and if you aren’t, hey, contest in the blog post below!). This is your country, and these elections are likely the only say you get in how your country is run. That’s what a representative democracy is: we vote for our elected officials who make decisions for us.

It’s kind of like choosing your parent. Together, as individual states and as a country, we’re voting for the people who are going to tell us what to do for the next two/four/six years (depending on which office they hold). We’re voting for the people who are going to be making decisions on our behalf. And we can’t change our minds for another two/four/six years.

I know you’re probably sick of hearing about it. Like I said above, I am, too. But this election is important. Every election is. If you’re registered to vote, please do so. It may take a few minutes of your time; it may take a few hours. But it is still probably the only say you’re going to have in how your town, your county, your state, and your country is run for the next few years.

And whatever your vote is, make sure it is your vote and not someone else’s. Not your family’s vote, not your best friend’s vote, not your favorite celebrity’s vote, not your Twitter/Facebook feed’s vote, but your vote. It’s the only one you’ll have in this election. Make it count.

If you don’t feel confident enough in the issues surrounding your state (proposals, elections, etc.), then you have today and part of tomorrow to educate yourself. It doesn’t take long – a quick internet search should lead you to a list of issues on your ballot tomorrow, and likely a few sites arguing for and against them.

If you’re so sick of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama that you just don’t care what they stand for anymore (or if the only education you’ve had on their stances come from internet memes), then I suggest this site: http://www.isidewith.com/. It will ask you about your opinions on a wide range of issues, and it will give you a list of candidates that best suit your opinions (as well as an issue-by-issue explanation if you click through). There are third party options, and those votes are just as valid and important as a vote for Romney or Obama. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Still with me? Yes? Awesome. I don’t care who you vote for. All I care about is that 1.) You vote, and 2.) Your vote is your vote. There’s a tendency for most of us to feel as if we need to take on the opinions of those around us to fit in and make friends, or to keep our family happy, but the thing is, even if you do vote for “the other guy,” your vote is secret. No one but you will ever know for sure which box you ticked in that booth. The system fails if we give someone else our vote; they have two, and we have none. Not to be cheesy, but countless people have given their lives for us to have this right. Let’s not disappoint them.

Now, the previous contests were for finished copies of Goddess Inheritance, which I don’t have yet (I will probably get those sometime in January). This contest is for an UNCORRECTED advanced reading copy/proof of Goddess Inheritance, the third book in the Goddess Test series, which means it will have typos. It will have errors. In fact, at one point the world spins in the wrong direction. There were some small edits made after the ARCs were printed, and it will not be the same as a finished copy, though the story itself is not affected.

I say that not to deter you from entering, but because some (myself included, before I got into publishing) have no idea what the difference between an ARC and the books you see in your local bookstores is. That’s it, really – this is not the final version. It is very close, but there will still be changes. So if you want to read the finished version and only the finished version, then you might want to wait to enter one of the contests that does feature a finished copy, or wait until it’s published on February 26th.

(How many people did that scare away? Two?)

THAT BEING SAID, if you want an ARC of The Goddess Inheritance, here’s how you can win:

Add Masked (the first book of my next series) to your “to be read” shelf on Goodreads (+1 entry)

Make SURE to note every way you’ve entered in your comment (for a maximum total of +7 entries), else you’ll only be entered once. If you already follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or have already added the books on your Goodread shelves, then that totally counts.

Contest is open for TWO WEEKS, until 12:01am Eastern (GMT-5) on Monday, November 12, 2012. Open internationally. If I can ship it to you, you can win it. Please be 13 years of age or older, or have your parent or legal guardian’s permission to enter. A winner will be announced as soon as possible sometime on or after November 12, and the winner will have three days to claim their prize before I choose another winner.

I am so excited for you all to have the chance to read this book. Even if you don’t win this contest (or one of my others), The Goddess Inheritance will be on shelves February 26th, 2013. Which isn’t nearly as far away as it feels.

Thanks all, and best of luck!

EDIT: The contest is now CLOSED. Thank you all for entering, and I’ll name the winner ASAP!

If you’ve read some of the interviews I’ve done, especially ones that ask about playlists for the Goddess Test series, you probably know that I don’t make playlists. Which is kind of weird, because ten years ago, I made playlists for everything. Every story had a main song, and I always found others that connected as well.

Lately I’ve gotten back in the groove of things – I’ve been connecting songs to stories in my head, and it’s a ton of fun. I’ve started to go through my music and compile a playlist for the Goddess Test series, and while I only have a few so far, I’d love to get more. Over the past year and a half, so many of you have commented about songs that were perfect for Henry and Kate or other members of the Goddess Test series, and I’d love your input.

So here are my top two picks for the Goddess Test playlist. Feel Again by OneRepublic SCREAMS Henry to me, and Someone Like You by Adele (I know, I know) is, to me, the perfect Henry/Persephone song. (And to be all hipster about it, I thought this way before SLY was a single and exploded in popularity). What are some songs that you think fit the series perfectly?

If you’ve read Goddess Interrupted, you might be interested to know just what happens in the third with that ending. I’m so excited to finally have the chance to reveal the back cover of the third book, The Goddess Inheritance (late February 2013)!

Love or Life.

Henry or their child.

The end of her family or the end of the world.

Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can’t stop her—until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he’ll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

I am way, way, way late on this, and I apologize, but The Goddess Legacy blog tour is now in full swing! Hit the stops below for teasers, quotes, reviews, and your (many) chances to win not just a copy of The Goddess Legacy, but also an awesome prize pack that features an ARC of The Goddess Inheritance!

Thank you all for entering the contest to win a signed copy of The Goddess Legacy and an early copy of The Goddess Inheritance! I can’t believe how many of you there were, and after picking a random number, the winner is…

Jessica @ The Midnight Bookworm!

Congratulations, Jessica! Check your email. 🙂 And for those of you who didn’t win, don’t worry, there will be plenty more contests where this came from. Don’t forget to follow this blog (or my Twitter account, or my FB page) for the latest.

I’m so excited to finally be able to share the cover of the third Goddess Test book, THE GODDESS INHERITANCE, with you! It’s my favorite of the covers, and it fits beautifully with the rest of the series.

Without further ado…

Kind of amazing, right? I love it. When I first saw it, I printed it out and have it hanging on the wall next to my desk, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. My favorite part is the fact that my name is in pink. Which is sort of silly, but it goes so well with the green!

Now, for EVEN BETTER NEWS – my publisher just told me that The Goddess Inheritance will be released a month early, in late February 2013!

To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway of The Goddess Legacy, the 2.5 in the series, which is on shelves now! Not only that, but the winner of this contest will also be receiving a signed copy of The Goddess Inheritance as soon as I receive them (which won’t be until late this year/early next, but still!).

All you have to do is comment here. No spoilers about the series, please, and don’t forget to leave your name and email address! Contest will be open for one week, until 12:01am EST on Friday, September 7th. And it IS open internationally. (You can only enter once, and you must be 13+.)

Thanks so much, guys! I’m so excited for you to finally have the chance to read this book!

EDIT: The contest is now over! Thanks for entering, everyone (holy wow there are a lot of you!), and I’ll announce the winner ASAP!